Split-screen video game with character playfield position exchange

ABSTRACT

A method is provided for controlling a multiplayer competition video game for use with the system which includes a video display screen, a graphics controller, digital memory and user input devices, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first region of the video display screen in which a scrollable playfield can be displayed; providing a second region of the video display screen in which the scrollable playfield can be displayed; displaying a first character in the first region; displaying a second character in the second region; scrolling the playfield in the first region to show progress of the first character in traversing the playfield; scrolling the playfield in the second region to show progress of the second character in traversing the playfield; displaying an exchange object in a portion of the scrollable playfield displayed in at least one of the first and second regions; activating the exchange object; interchanging respective playfield displays in the first display screen and the second display screen such that following said step of interchanging, progress of the first character in traversing the playfield and progress of the second character in traversing the playfield are exchanged.

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.07/979,578, filed Nov. 20, 1992, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to video games, and more specifically,to video games that employ a playfield that scrolls relative to a gamecharacter in order to show character motion through the playfield.

2. Description of the Related Art

Video games are well known in which a game character, or sprite, followsa prescribed path through a scrolled playfield in response to thecommands of a user who is playing the game. The user operates an inputdevice which includes a control console which may include a "joy stick"used to control character movement. A user command issued through theinput device for the character to move right results in the playfieldscrolling to the left which creates the impression that the character ismoving to the right relative to the playfield. Conversely, a usercommand for the character to move left results in the playfieldscrolling to the right which creates the impression that the characteris moving to the left. During such scrolling the character imageordinarily remains fixed near the center of the screen display despitethe appearance of movement relative to the playfield.

In typical video games, the input device permits the user to command thecharacter to perform numerous activities such as to jump or to crouchdown or to speed-up or to slow-down. Often, a game character takes ondifferent appearances as it engages in different activities. Forexample, when the character moves at slower speeds, its legs, arms andtorso may be fully visible as the playfield scrolls slowly. However,when the character speeds up, most of the character image may beportrayed as a blur with only the character head being fullyrecognizable while the playfield scrolls rapidly. Moreover, thecharacter may have one portrayal when it crouches and another portrayalwhen it jumps. Additionally, there may be special character antics thatinvolve a series of images, such as tumbling, throwing a kick or"flying" through the air.

A challenge associated with video games is to provide a competition modein which two video game players independently control two gamecharacters as the characters traverse the playfield. For example, theplayers compete by trying to have their characters traverse theplayfield fastest while accumulating the highest number of points byovercoming obstacles or slaying enemies or gathering "magical rings".One problem associated with competition games is that the charactercontrolled by one player may get far ahead of the character controlledby the other player as the two characters traverse the field. In orderto make the game more exciting and challenging, it can be desirable tohave two characters in closer competition.

Thus, there has been a need for a method and apparatus in which the leadthat one character has achieved over the other can be changed or reducedwhen one character has outdistanced the other. The present inventionmeets this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method is provided for controlling a multiplayer competition videogame for use in a system which includes a video display screen, agraphics controller, digital memory and at least one user input device.In a current embodiment, a split screen display is provided in which atop screen displays a first region of the playfield and a bottom screendisplay displays a second region of the playfield. A first character isdisplayed in the top screen, and a second character is displayed in thebottom screen. The first playfield region in the top screen is scrolledto display progress of the first character through the playfield, andthe second playfield region in the bottom screen is scrolled to show theprogress of the second character through the playfield. An exchangeobject is displayed in at least one of the top and bottom screens. Theexchange object is activated, and as a result, the respective playfielddisplays in the top and bottom screens are interchanged such that afterthe interchanging process, the top screen displays the first characterin the second playfield region, and the bottom screen displays thesecond character in the first playfield region.

Thus, by activating the exchange object, the positions of the first andsecond characters are reversed. A character which once was far out infront of the other character now is far behind that character. Thepresent exchange object, therefore, adds additional strategy factors tothe video game play.

These and other purposes and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent to those skilled in the art from the followingdetailed description in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video display and a priority controllerand a concept diagram of the scroll planes used to produce video imagesin accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a conceptual view of an entire playfield which is sixtyscreens wide and eight screens high in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a representative (blank) screen within the playfield of FIG.2;

FIG. 4 is an 8-dot×8-dot graphics cell within the screen of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5A represents a color pattern used to illuminate the graphics cellof FIG. 4;

FIG. 5B represents an 8 bit byte of color information used to illuminatetwo dots of the color pattern of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 represents the use of a pattern number table to correlate thegraphics cells of FIG. 4 with the color patterns of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a graphics controller in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a representative pattern number stored in the patternnumber table of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of the steps used to access color patterninformation using the color pattern number table of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a representative sprite table that can be stored in thecontrol RAM of the controller of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 shows a representative sprite attribute table stored in the VRAMof the controller of FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a table showing the priority encoding rules implemented bythe priority encoder of the TV interface circuit of the controller ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 13 is a series of color patterns illustrating the role of the vfand hf bits of the pattern number of FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a representative link data list for linking sprites bypriority for use in the graphics controller of FIG. 7;

FIG. 15 shows a series of pattern generator data formats in whichdifferent patterns can be stored to generate sprites of differenthorizontal and vertical sizes.

FIGS. 16A-D show a shuttle loop in accordance with the invention; 16Ashows character orientation; 16B shows character offset; 16C showscharacter trajectories in the event that the character jumps; and 16Dshows offset measurements relative to the center of the loop;

FIG. 17 shows a collection of character image patterns displayed onscreen as the character traverses the loop of FIGS. 16A-D;

FIGS. 18A-B show a flow diagram of a computer program used to controlthe display of character movement on the loop of FIGS. 16A-D;

FIGS. 19A-B show a table of angles and an offset table used to selectcharacter patterns and to determine character offset as the charactertraverses the loop of FIGS. 16A-D;

FIGS. 20A-C show an illustrative overlap loop path and the graphics pathblocks that comprise the path in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 21 shows an illustrative library of graphics blocks used to definepath segments of the graphics path block of FIGS. 20A-C;

FIG. 22 is a table which cross-references graphics blocks to collisionblocks;

FIG. 23 is an enlarged view of one of the collision blocks of thelibrary of FIG. 21 used to illustrate the process of locating the pathsegment defined by a collision block; and

FIG. 24 is a flow diagram of a process used to change the collision typeof a game character when the character passes a prescribed region of theplayfield;

FIGS. 25A-B show possible earlier single screen graphics includingplayfield graphics and character graphics and possible earlier splitscreen graphics in which some of the playfield graphics have been lostin the split screen image;

FIGS. 26A-B show consecutive views of another possible earlier singlescreen graphics display in which two characters in the same screen aremoving away from each other as indicated by the arrows;

FIGS. 27A-B show single screen graphics and split screen graphics inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 28 illustrates an interlaced frame;

FIG. 29 illustrates an even scan frame;

FIG. 30 illustrates an odd scan frame;

FIGS. 31A-D illustrate four stages in the rendering of a split screenimage in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 32 shows a timing diagram corresponding to the four stages in FIGS.31A-D;

FIGS. 33A-B is a flow diagram representing a computer program whichexplains the data transfer during rendering of a split screen display inan interlace mode;

FIG. 34 illustrates a computer program used to control the exchange ofgraphics information during the rendering of a split screen display;

FIG. 35 shows a single cell which can be used to produce a graphicspattern for use in interlace mode;

FIG. 36 shows another representation of a single cell which can be usedto produce a graphics pattern in the interlace mode;

FIGS. 37A-E illustrate the operation of the cooperative mode by showinga series of screen displays which might appear as first and secondplayers traverse a prescribed path through a playfield;

FIG. 38 is a flow diagram which illustrates the operation of a computerprogram used to control the movement of the second game character in thecooperative mode;

FIG. 39 is a flow diagram of a computer program used to determinewhether the cooperative mode or the competitive mode is to be used bythe second game character;

FIG. 40 is a flow diagram of a computer program used to move the secondcharacter back into view after it has fallen far behind the firstcharacter and has disappeared from view on the display screen;

FIG. 41 shows a split screen display in accordance with the presentinvention in which playfield region A is shown in a top screen andplayfield region B is shown in a bottom screen and in which a firstplayer is shown in the top screen and a second player is shown in thebottom screen;

FIG. 42 shows a split screen display in which the playfield regions forthe top and bottom screens shown in FIG. 41 have been interchanged;

FIGS. 43A-B show a flow diagram of a computer program used to controlthe exchange of information as a screen display changes from the screendisplay shown in FIG. 41 to the screen display shown in FIG. 42;

FIG. 44 shows an exchange object in accordance with the presentinvention prior to activation; and

FIG. 45 shows the exchange object of FIG. 44 after activation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention comprises a novel apparatus and method for use ina video game. The following description is presented to enable anyperson skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is providedin the context of a particular application and its requirements. Variousmodifications to the preferred embodiment will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein maybe applied to other embodiments and applications without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention isnot intended to be limited to the embodiment shown, but is to beaccorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and featuresdisclosed herein.

Overview

In a present embodiment of the invention, a video display generator isused to produce graphical images on a TV display screen. The graphicsinformation used to produce the images can be thought of as a series ofplanes, one behind the other as shown in the illustrative drawing ofFIG. 1. The first plane is the sprite plane. The next two planes are thescroll A plane and the scroll B plane. The actual image produced on theTV screen consists of a series of rows of dots that are individuallyilluminated in different colors so that together the dots form theimage. The graphics information used to determine how each dot is to beilluminated is provided in the three planes. For each dot, a prioritycontroller determines whether the dot is to be illuminated usinginformation from the sprite plane, the scroll A plane or the scroll Bplane. The graphics information in the three planes is prioritized, anddots having the highest priority are displayed.

Scroll A represents a playfield on which a video game is played. ScrollB represents a background for scroll A. The video display can show onlya tiny fraction of the entire playfield at any given moment. An entireplayfield includes 480 separate screen displays. A video game involvesthe movement of video game characters through the playfield. Theillustrative drawing of FIG. 2 represents a playfield which is 60screens horizontal and 8 screens vertical. The system of the presentinvention can operate in either a single screen mode or a split screenmode. In the single screen mode of operation, only a single playfieldscreen is displayed. That screen corresponds to the portion of theplayfield presently traversed by the video game character. In asplit-screen mode, two screens are displayed at a time, one for a firstvideo game character and another for a second video game character. Foreach character, the displayed screen corresponds to the portion of theplayfield travelled by that character at that moment.

The playfield image that appears on the display is formed from graphicsinformation stored for scroll A and scroll B. Images called sprites alsoappear on the screen. Sprites are graphics objects that can move abouton the playfield. The game characters are sprites, for example. Graphicsinformation for the sprites is stored in the sprite plane.

Each screen, in a non-interlace mode of operation, is 320 dotshorizontal and 224 dots vertical. The illustrative drawing of FIG. 3shows a representative screen. The screen, for example, can be at thescreen location indicated by the rectangle Q in the playfield shown inFIG. 2. The rectangle Q is horizontally and vertically offset from theplayfield base address at the upper left corner of the playfield.

The entire playfield is divided into graphics blocks. Each graphicsblock is divided into graphics cells. Each graphics cell is divided intodots which correspond to pixels. Each graphics cell represents an 8dot×8 dot region of the screen. In the preferred embodiment, there are40 graphics cells horizontally and 28 graphics cells vertically perscreen.

It will be understood that graphics for a typical playfield areinitially created by an artist. The graphics then are "digitized". Thegraphics are divided into graphics cells. The graphics cells arereferenced to stored color patterns that contain color information usedto color the graphics cells. That way stored color information can bereused for different graphics cells.

For example, a particular region of the scroll A portion of theplayfield may represent green grass. Each graphics cell that portraysgreen grass can use the same stored pattern information. Rather thanseparately store green grass graphics for each graphics cell portrayinggreen grass in the playfield, a green grass pattern is stored once, andthe individual graphics cells are referenced to that stored patternwhich can be used to produce grassy screen images.

The illustrative drawing of FIG. 4 shows a representative 8-dot×8-dotgraphics cell. For each cell in the displayed image, a determination ismade as to whether the dots in the cell are to be illuminated usingcolor pattern information stored for the scroll A plane, the scroll Bplane or the sprite plane. As explained above, the same stored patterninformation can be used by multiple graphics cells. The function of thegraphics controller described below is to make that determination.

Color pattern information is stored for the sprite plane and for thescroll A and scroll B planes. Each pattern dictates the dot colorillumination pattern for an entire graphics cell. For example, FIG. 5Arepresents a pattern in which color information is provided for 64 dotsa1-h8. As shown in FIG. 5B, 4 bits of color information are provided perdot. The color information is stored in 32 bytes in which each bytestores 4 bits for one dot and 4 bits for another dot. For each graphicscell in the display screen Q, a determination is made as to whether acolor pattern stored in the sprite plane, in the scroll A plane or inthe scroll B plane is to be used. The color data of the selected patternthen is used to illuminate the dots of that cell.

The general approach used to locate scroll A and scroll B graphicspatterns stored in memory is illustrated in FIG. 6. A table of patternnumbers is maintained for the cells in scroll A, and another table ismaintained for the cells in scroll B. For the scroll A table, a patternnumber is stored for each cell of the screen. Each pattern number isstored together with a pointer to an entry in a scroll address tablewhich, in turn, points to a subroutine used to access the storedgraphics pattern that corresponds to the pattern number. In this manner,a graphics pattern can be located for each graphics cell of scroll A.The graphics patterns used for graphics cells in the scroll B plane arelocated using a similar approach.

The procedure used to locate color patterns for graphics cells in scrollA and for graphics cells in scroll B is discussed in more detail below,together with a discussion of the steps for locating color patterns forthe sprite plane.

Graphics Controller

Referring to the illustrative drawing of FIG. 7, there is shown a blockdiagram of a graphics controller 40 in accordance with the presentinvention. The controller 40 includes a RAM 42, a video RAM (VRAM) 45, aMicroprocessor 44, a processor interface 45, control logic 46, a controlRAM 48, a horizontal counter control 50, a vertical counter control 52.The controller 40 further includes interrupt control 57, direct memoryaccess (DMA) control 59, a line buffer 60, registers 61 and an I/Ointerface 64. A TV interface circuit 54 provides RGB analog signals to aTV system 56.

The RAM 42 receives graphics information from a cartridge-based ROM 58.A cartridge 63, which forms no part of the present invention, isdisclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.07/510,070 filed Apr. 17, 1990, invented by Matsubara which is expresslyincorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.

First and second external controllers 72, 74 are connected to thecontroller 40 through the I/O interface 64. The controllers 72, 74 eachinclude buttons to control game character movement. The first controller72 controls the movement of a first game character (sprite). The secondcontroller 74 controls movement of a second game character (sprite). TheS/P button controls start/pause of game play. Buttons A, B, C are usedfor special game features such as character attacking or charactertaking on special powers. Buttons labelled with L, R, Up, Dn are used tocause the game character to move left or right or to jump up or tocrouch down.

In operation, the video RAM 45 stores graphics patterns like those shownin FIG. 5A for the sprite plane and for the scroll A and scroll Bplanes. As the TV display screen is scanned line-by-line, patternscorresponding to the graphics information for the scroll A, scroll B andthe sprite plane are retrieved, and three independent signals areproduced which are representative of the graphics patterns for scroll A,scroll B and the sprites plane. A priority controller in the TVinterface 54 selects the appropriate signal on a dot-by-dot basisaccording to designated priorities. A color decoder and DAC in the TVinterface 54 receives the output of the priority controller andgenerates a corresponding RGB signal for transmission to the TV system56.

More specifically, the control logic 46 receives a horizontal scrollvalue and a vertical scroll value which determines which graphics cellin the playfield is to be rendered. A pattern number table address inthe VRAM 45 is calculated based upon the received vertical andhorizontal values. The calculated address contains the number thatidentifies the pattern used to color the graphic cell. A representativepattern number stored in the pattern number table is shown in FIG. 8.The retrieved pattern number is used to access a color pattern stored inthe VRAM 45. The color pattern together with color palette selectioninformation retrieved from the pattern number table is used to calculatea color RAM address. The diagram of FIG. 9 further explains the processof retrieving scroll pattern information. The process is similar forscroll A and scroll B patterns.

The following pattern number entry table explains the contents of thebytes of the color pattern number of FIG. 8.

    ______________________________________                                        Pattern Number Table Entry                                                    ______________________________________                                        pri:          Priority                                                        cp1:          Color palette selection bit                                     cp0:          Color palette selection bit                                     vf:           V Reverse Bit                                                   hf:           H Reverse Bit                                                   pt10 ˜ pt0:                                                                           Pattern Generator Number                                        ______________________________________                                    

The priority bit refers to priority of the pattern. The two colorpalette selection bits refer to the selection of the appropriate colorpalette. In the presently preferred embodiment, there are four colorpalettes. The vf and hf bits are explained with reference to thedrawings of FIG. 13. Essentially, bits vf and hf allow for horizontaland vertical reversal on a cell unit basis. That is, depending on the vfand the hf values, the vertical or horizontal or both vertical andhorizontal orientation of a cell can be changed. In this manner,graphics information can be stored more compactly. Different graphicsimages can be produced using the same stored color patterns simply bychanging the orientation of individual color patterns using the vf andhf bits.

The controller 40 processes sprite graphics as follows. Upon receipt ofa vertical counter signal from the vertical counter 52 a search is madeof the control RAM 48 for a sprite having a vertical position indicatedby the vertical counter. The control RAM stores the vertical position,sprite size, a link number and a pattern number. Upon finding one ormore sprites having the indicated vertical position in a sprite tableshown in FIG. 10. The RAM 48 returns to the control logic 46 the sizeand link numbers for all such sprites sharing that vertical position.The video RAM 45 contains a sprite attribute table which also issearched for sprites having the vertical address of interest. Thedrawings of FIG. 11 show the format of an entry in the sprite attributetable. The pattern number and horizontal position of each sprite havingsuch a vertical address are returned from the VRAM 45 to the controllogic 46.

Priority among the sprites is determined in accordance with a spritelink table explained below. Based upon the outcome of the individualsprite priorities, the pattern numbers of the sprites to be displayedfor the particular vertical line is determined. Horizontal countinformation is provided by the horizontal counter 50. If there aremultiple sprites on a line then a calculation of sprite prioritydetermines which sprites are to appear in view and which are to behidden from view. The pattern number is used to address the appropriatesprite color patterns stored in VRAM 45. Dot-by-dot illuminationinformation for the vertical line is transferred to the line buffer 60.

The role of the Priority Controller in the TV interface circuit 54 willbe better understood by reference to the table of FIG. 12. For eachgraphics cell visible within the display screen, a priority is set forthe sprite plane, the scroll A plane and the scroll B plane. Thegraphics cell with the highest priority is displayed in accordance withthe table. Once priority has been determined, an RGB analog signal isproduced for either the sprite, scroll A or scroll B signal, dependingupon which has highest priority. Thus, for example, if scroll A has thehighest priority for a given graphics cell, then the color informationproduced by the graphics controller for scroll A for that cell isprovided as the RGB analog signal to the TV system 56.

Sprites

A Sprite is defined through a Sprite attribute table entry which isstored in VRAM 45 and a sprite status table stored in RAM 42. Thefollowing sprite status table lists representative status informationthat is stored in the RAM 42 for main character (hero) type sprites aswell as for various other sprites such as enemies or moving platforms.

    ______________________________________                                        Sprite Status Table                                                           No. of Bytes Description                                                      ______________________________________                                        1            Action Number                                                    1            Action Flags                                                     2            Offset in VRAM                                                   4            Address of pattern table                                         4            X direction offset within playfield                              4            y direction offset within playfield                              2            ± x direction speed                                           2            ± y direction speed                                           1            vertical offset (in dots) from center                                         of character to bottom of char.                                  1            horizontal offset (in dots) from                                              center of character to bottom of                                              character.                                                       1            sprite priority                                                  1            horizontal width in dots                                         1            pattern number                                                   1            pattern counter                                                  2            pattern change number                                            1            pattern timer counter                                            1            pattern timer master                                             1            collision size                                                   1            collision counter                                                1            Routine number 1                                                 1            Routine number 2                                                 2            angle of character through loop (not                                          sloop)                                                           1            ride-on flag                                                     1            hit flag                                                         2            A/B type collision setting                                       ______________________________________                                    

The Action Number is essentially the sprite's name. Each sprite has aunique Action Number. An action flag byte includes 8 bits in which onebit indicates whether the Sprite is facing right or left. Another bitindicates whether the sprite is resting on its head or on its feet.Another bit indicates whether the sprite is facing up or down. Stillanother bit indicates whether or not the sprite is within the field viewof the display screen. Four bits are used to indicate the base addressof the pattern data used to produce the sprite.

Another 4 bytes are used to indicate the x direction offset of thesprite within the playfield. Another 4 bytes are used to indicate the ydirection offset of the sprite within the playfield. Two bytes indicatethe x direction of movement (right or left) and speed of the sprite. Twomore bytes indicate the y direction of movement (up or down) and speedof the sprite. Another byte is used to set the vertical offset in dotsfrom the center of the sprite to the bottom of the sprite. Still anotherbyte is used to set the horizontal offset in dots from the center of thesprite to the edges. There is a byte to show sprite priority and a byteto indicate horizontal width of the sprite in dots.

There is one byte which designates a pattern number. There is a one bytepattern counter which tells how long to display each sprite pattern onthe screen. A sprite may be illustrated using a sequence of patterns andthe duration of each pattern must be set. Two bytes indicate the masterpattern number also known as the pattern change number. For example,there may be four patterns each to show a running sprite image sequence.Another four patterns may be used to show a rolling sprite patternsequence. The pattern change number indicates which set of patterns isto be used. The one byte pattern timer counter is similar to the patternmaster, and it contains a count of how long a pattern should bedisplayed. Another byte serves to keep track of the current count duringa count down/up. Another byte includes a hit number which indexes into ahit table which determines the size of a character for purposes ofdetermining whether a hit has occurred. The hit number indicates thesize of a collision box for the sprite for the purpose, for example, ofdetermining how big a target a sprite poses for enemies. For example, anenemy sprite may be attacked by a hero sprite (that hurl projectilesprites). Determining whether an enemy has been hit (by a projectile)involves finding the enemy's hit size. A collision count indicates howmany collisions or hits are required to "kill" or defeat an enemy.

One byte is used to indicate a subroutine zero. For example, if a spriteis not currently moving, then one subroutine is called to display thesprite. If the sprite is moving, then another subroutine is called todisplay it. Another byte indicates routine number one. For example, ifthe sprite is standing and shooting then one subroutine is called. If asprite is standing and not shooting, then another subroutine is called.

Two bytes are used to change the angular orientation of the characters.They can be used to trace a path on an inclined/declined surface orthrough a 360° loop. One byte is used to indicate the status of aride-on flag. There are objects referred to as "events" in the playfieldthat the sprite can "ride-on". For example, there are moving platformsin the sprite plane, and the sprite is capable of riding on suchplatforms. If the sprite is resting on this platform, then the ride-onflag is set. A hit flag indicates whether or not a sprite has run intoanother object (other than a path) such as a wall or an event. Anotherbyte indicates whether the sprite is an A type collision Sprite or a Btype collision sprite.

Sprite Data Attribute Table

The illustrative drawing of FIG. 11 shows a representative Spriteattribute table entry stored in VRAM 45. The following table explainsthe Sprite attribute information.

    ______________________________________                                        Sprite-Attribute Table                                                        ______________________________________                                        vp9 ˜ vp0: V position                                                   hp8 ˜ hp0: H position                                                   hs1, hs0:        Sprite's H Size                                              vs1, vs0:        Sprite's V Size                                              1d6 ˜ 1d0  Link Data                                                    pri:             Priority Bit                                                 cp1, cp0:        Color palette selection                                                       bit                                                          vf:              V Reverse Bit 1:Reverse                                      hf:              H Reverse Bit 1:Reverse                                      sn10 ˜ sn0:                                                                              Sprite Pattern Number                                        ______________________________________                                    

The vertical and horizontal positions of the sprite are relative to thebase address of the scroll screens. The sprite horizontal size can beset at either 8, 16, 24 or 32 pixels. Similarly, the Sprite verticalsize can be set, at either 8, 16, 24, or 32 pixels. The sprite prioritybit can be set, and its use is described above. The color palette can beselected. The vf and hf bits can be used to reverse a sprite orientationin a manner similar to that described for the pattern generator numbers.The sprite pattern number is indicated by eleven bits sn10-sn0. The linkdata is used to indicate priority among sprites.

Referring to FIG. 14, there is shown a link data list in which SpritesQ-W are linked in accordance with priority. Sprite Q has number 1priority. Sprite R has number 2 priority. Sprite S has number 3priority. Sprite W has the lowest priority. In this manner priority issequentially designated by each sprite's link data and thus it is in alist form. The lowest priority sprite has a link data 0. If there aresprites that are not linked into the list, then they are not displayedon the screen.

Referring to the illustrative drawings of FIG. 15, there is shown aseries of pattern generator data in which the different patterns areused to generate sprites of different horizontal and vertical cellsizes. Each cell corresponds to a single pattern which is represented by32 bytes of information as described above. Thus, for example, thesprite pattern generator data for FIG. 15-N has a total of eightgraphics cells. Eight color patterns are used to generate the eightgraphics cells. It will be appreciated that computer programs that willbe understood by those skilled in the art are stored in the RAM 42 andare used to generate sprite graphics from the sprite pattern generatordata.

Shuttle Loop Graphics

Referring to FIG. 16A there is shown a shuttle loop in accordance withthe present invention. The shuttle loop is in the form of a spiral loopwhich is part of the playfield. The spiral loop (sloop) forms a spiralor corkscrew path on which a player rotates through 360 degrees as heruns along it. At points E1 and E2 (entry points) the path surface isnormal and the character stands vertically straight up as indicated bythe arrows as he moves along the sloop path at these positions. At pointM (midpoint) the path is rotated 180 degrees so that a character stands(completely) upside down at this point on the pathway as indicated bythe arrow M. At point T1 the path has begun to twist and to banksideways and the character is visible, but his orientation is oblique asshown by the arrow T1. The banked path simulates the banking of a reallife race track in which the road is inclined on banked turns to helpracers to stay on the track. When the character reaches the pointindicated by arrow T2 it is hidden from view since it is moving on aportion of the sloop path that is banked but hidden from view by theunderside U of the sloop path.

The sloop provides a unique graphical image in which a sprite can followa twisting spiral path on the screen as it moves upward until the pathis completely upside down or rotated 180 degrees. The charactercontinues to follow the path temporarily disappearing from view as thepath continues its corkscrew rotation through another 180 degrees sothat the sprite character emerges again at the other side of the slooppath standing upright. Producing a sloop screen image poses a number ofchallenges. Not the least of which is selecting the appropriate spritepatterns for each location on the spiral path. As the sprite charactertravels along the path its feet are maintained on the path.

The character must be shown in a number of different orientations from aside profile view to directly overhead, when the path is banked ninetydegrees, and from standing completely upright to standing completelyupside down and at various other angular orientations depending upon thebanking of the path. FIG. 17 shows twelve different perspective patternsfor a character sprite affectionately known as "Tails".

The offset of the sprite character from the spiral loop scroll patternmust be properly maintained since the perspective view of the spritecharacter changes as the sprite travels along these spiral loops. Theline labelled 110 in FIG. 16B approximates the offset from the loop tothe center of the sprite character as the sprite follows the sloop path.When the sprite is at either end of the sloop, his feet touch the path,and the sprite center is clearly offset above from the path. However, asthe sprite travels along the path, the offset from the center of thesprite character to the sloop changes, and at certain points, the spriteis centered on the sloop path with no offset. For example, at that slooppath location, the path is tilted or banked sideways by ninety degrees,and a top character pattern image is displayed on screen. When thesprite reaches the half-way point, the sprite's feet touch the path, andthe sprite center is offset downward from the spiral loop path. As thesprite character continues to follow the path, his gradual downwardoffset gradually decreases; the sprite momentarily disappears from view;and it then reappears with an offset slightly above the sloop path.

Shuttle Loop Control

As the character closes in on the shuttle loop on the playfield, theprogram of FIGS. 18A-B begins to execute. The execution of that programis in response to a different program which constantly keeps track ofthe character's location on the playfield. That other program determineswhether the player is closing in on the shuttle loop. If he is, then theprogram of FIGS. 18A-B begins to execute to determine whether or not theplayer is actually on the sloop path yet. In essence, the other programhas a record of the playfield locations which are considered to be closeenough to the shuttle loop to commence execution of the program of FIGS.18A-B.

In step 100, a determination is made as to whether or not the spritecharacter ride flag is set to one. The sloop path is considered to be anobject or "event" that a sprite can ride on. The character ride flagsimply indicates that the player has landed on the sloop path.

In step 102 a determination is made as to whether or not the characteris in the process of jumping. The reason for this step is to be certainthat the character has not come into close proximity with the beginningof the shuttle loop by jumping from some other location. The shuttleloop is only to be entered by a character moving along a pathway, andnot by a character who is jumping.

In step 103 a determination is made as to whether or not the characteris in the process of entering the shuttle loop. There are certain zonesdefined at either end of the shuttle loop indicated by boxes 105 in FIG.16A. The program of FIG. 18A-B makes a determination of whether or notthe character is moving within either of these entry zones. The programstep indicated by 103 keeps track of player movement through either ofthese two zones 105 to determine whether or not the character is in theprocess of entering the shuttle loop from either the left or the right.

It will be appreciated that the step 103 determines whether thecharacter is in the process of entering the shuttle loop. As explainedbelow, the character is required to move very quickly as it enters theshuttle loop. Also, once the character has entered the shuttle loop,character movement no longer is controlled using collision blocks, asexplained in the next section. Rather, as explained below, it iscontrolled by reference to an offset table described in this section.

In step 104, if the character ride flag has not been set previously toone and the player is in the process of entering the shuttle loop fromeither the left or right then the character ride flag is set to one. Instep 106 a determination is made as to whether or not the sprite speedis above a pre-set limit. The rules of the video game the presentembodiment require that the sprite maintain a certain minimum speed.Otherwise it cannot enter the shuttle loop. This feature adds excitementand realism to the game.

In step 108 a determination is made once again as to whether or not thecharacter is jumping. It should be appreciated that the program of FIG.18A-B runs repeatedly as the character traverses the sloop. It ispossible that the character could jump while in the process oftraversing the shuttle loop. Since the sloop twists like a corkscrew,the result of such a player jump could be that, rather than goingupward, the character falls down off the loop. For example, if thecharacter jumps from the left inclined or twisted side of the loop asthe sprite runs to the right, the character will end up falling downwardrather than jumping upward as indicated by the trajectory shown by arrow120 in FIG. 16C. In that case, the horizontal speed of the character ismaintained, as he falls downward. If, on the other hand, the characterjumps while on the inclined portion on the right side of the shuttleloop as it runs to the left, then it will be seen to follow thetrajectory 122 as its horizontal speed to the left is maintained and asit falls downward. Its fall will be stopped when it hits the surface124. In step 111, a determination is again made as to whether or not thecharacter is riding on the shuttle loop. If it is, then in step 112 adetermination is made of the character X (horizontal) location on theshuttle loop, and a calculation is made of the character's Y location.In step 114, the character rotation for that X location is calculated.If in steps 106, 108 and 111 it is found that the character's speed isnot above the limit or that the character is jumping or that thecharacter is no longer riding on the shuttle loop then a branch to step116 in FIG. 18B is made. The character ride flag is cleared. In step118, the number one is assigned to the character's direction counter,and in step 120 the character direction speed is set to a predeterminedvalue.

The direction counter is used to set the number of rotations of thecharacter when it falls off the loop while jumping on either the rightor left inclined sections of the loop. The character tumbles as itfalls. This tumbling occurs only if the character is on a section of thesloop which is at least a minimum distance above the ground region 124.If the character is not far enough above the ground region 124 when hejumps, then the character simply falls down using its current pattern.The predetermined value set in step 120 tells the rate of tumbling orrotation as the character falls during such a jump.

The offset of the center of the loop is calculated from the verticalcenter of the sloop to a base address in the playfield. The sloop is 64dots in vertical height. So, the Y offset is 32 dots up or down fromthat center as indicated by FIG. 16D. The sloop is 384 dots wide. Foreach X dot increment, a y offset is stored in the offset table of FIGS.19A-B. The offset value in the table tells the offset to where thecenter of the sprite should be as shown in FIG. 16B.

The correct sprite pattern is selected from the twelve patterns in FIG.17. For each row in the offset table, there is one entry in the Table ofAngles (orientation table). For example, when the character is at an xoffset of one dot, the y offset is 032, and the orientation reference is$00. For example, when the character is at an x offset of 50 dots, the yoffset is 030, and the orientation reference is $16. The orientationtable entry indicates which of the twelve patterns to select to showproper character perspective for the character's current position on thesloop.

Thus, both sprite offset and sprite viewing perspective are maintainedas the sprite travels the sloop.

Switchable A/B Collision Graphics

In a present embodiment of the invention, the character follows apredefined path through the playfield in response to user commands. Thepath may or may not be visible throughout the playfield, but even if notvisible, it is present. The illustrative drawing of FIG. 20A shows arepresentative path which forms a loop and overlaps itself (an overlappath). Stored information referred to as collision blocks are used tokeep the character on the path. The use of collision blocks represents adifferent approach to keeping a character on a path than the approachdescribed above in relation to the shuttle loop.

A library of collision blocks is stored in the ROM 58. FIG. 21 shows acollection of collision blocks which may be used to keep a character onthe overlap path of FIG. 20A. The playfield path is divided intomultiple graphics path blocks. FIG. 20B shows the graphics path blocksthat contain the overlap loop.

As the character proceeds along the path, a record is maintained as towhich graphics path block presently is being traversed by the character.A collision table such as that shown in FIG. 22 is used to make across-reference from the graphics block to a collision block. Thecollision blocks actually define the path segments followed by thecharacter. The graphics path blocks are merely graphics, and they may ormay not include actual images of the path segments defined by thecollision blocks. As the character moves along the path, from onegraphics path block to another, it follows a path defined by theindividual path segments of the collision blocks referenced to thegraphics path blocks through the collision table.

A novel feature of the present system is that cross-references from agraphics path block to a collision block can be made to be dependentupon the collision type information stored in the character statustable. By changing the character collision type, a graphics path blockcan be made to reference a different collision block. Thus, the pathsegment followed by the character can be made to be dependent upon thestatus table information of the character.

Referring to FIG. 22, there is shown a collision table used tocross-reference path blocks to collision blocks. The table indicates apath block number in the first column. In the second and third columnsit indicates the collision block(s) to which the path block isreferenced. The references set forth in the second column are used ifthe character itself carries "A" type collision information, and thereferences in the third column are used if the character itself carries"B" collision type information. While the majority of the tablereferences are the same regardless of the type (A or B) of collisioninformation carried by the character, certain of the graphics path blockcross-reference depend upon character collision type.

Specifically, graphics path block the G6, can cross-references either oftwo collision blocks c1 or c8 depending upon character collision type.Graphics block G11 cross-references to collision block c4 regardless ofcharacter collision type. The remaining graphics path blocks that makeup the overlap path reference the same collision block regardless ofcharacter collision type. For example, graphics path block G5 is alwayscross-referenced to collision block c0, and graphics path block G12 isalways cross-referenced to collision block c3.

Referring to the illustrative drawing of FIG. 23, there is shown anenlarged view of collision block c1 of FIG. 21. Collision block c1 isreferenced to graphics path block G6 when the character has A typecollision information. Assuming that the character 200 advances alongthe path from left to right, it ascends as it traverses graphics pathblock G6. The actual movement of the character in the screen display asit traverses block G6 is controlled by reference to collision block c1.If the same character with type B collision information was to crossblock G6 from right to left, then it would descend.

More specifically, there is shown a solid (shaded) region and an empty(unshaded) region within the collision block c1. The solid (collision)region is represented in digital form in ROM by the storage ofprescribed logical information, for example, logical "1", and the empty(non-collision) region is represented by the storage of a differentprescribed value, for example, logical "0". The boundary between thesolid region and the empty region defines a path segment. As thecharacter proceeds through graphics path block G6 with A type collisioninformation, it follows the path segment defined in collision block c1.The path followed by the game character comprises a multiplicity of suchpath segments defined by different collision blocks in the library.

In FIG. 23, the outlines of a game character pattern are indicated bylines 200. As user commands direct the character 200 to move either leftor right, a determination is made as to whether or not the characterneeds to move horizontally, diagonally, upward or downward in order toremain in contact with the path segment.

A user operating an input controller 72 or 74 would merely indicate thatthe character should move left or right by depressing the buttonslabelled L or R. If, for example, the graphics controller, determinesthat the character has entered a graphics path block that referencescollision block c1 shown in FIG. 23 and the character has A typecollision information, then the controller would use the path segmentdefined by block c1 to determine the precise character movement throughthe graphics path block. For example, assume that a user has commandedthe character 200 in FIG. 23 to move from left to right. A determinationis made as to whether or not the character should move horizontally tothe right or diagonally upward to the right or diagonally downward tothe right in order to remain on the path segment after the movement.

The method whereby the character movement along individual path segmentsis controlled involves keeping track of the current location of the gamecharacter within the collision block. A determination is made as towhich one of several possible movements of the character would leave thecharacter suspended in empty (non-collision) space, within a forbiddensolid (collision) area or resting upon the path segment. The movementwhich would leave the character on the path segment is selected.

For example, still referring to FIG. 23, predefined test points 202, 204and 206 are used to test the possibilities by determining whether aleading edge 208 of the character would be left on the path segmentsurface, in empty space or in a solid region. The stored logical bitsindicating solid collision regions are regions that are forbidden toentry by the character. A movement of the character horizontally topoint 204 would leave the character in a forbidden solid region; so thatchoice is out. A movement diagonally downward to the right to point 206also would leave the character in a forbidden solid region; that choiceis out as well. However, a movement diagonally upward to the right topoint 202 would leave the character disposed directly on the path; sothat option is selected.

It will be appreciated that the technique just described for locatingthe path segment within a collision block can use a similar set of testpoints for every collision block. This uniformity of techniquefacilitates high speed graphics and a high degree of flexibility inselecting and producing game paths. Moreover, the details of thetechnique, which includes keeping track of the offset (location) of thegraphics path block in the playfield, will be understood by thoseskilled in the art and need not be described in detail herein.

At the apex of the overlap loop indicated by line 210 in FIG. 20B, achanging of character collision type information is performed inaccordance with the process illustrated in the flow diagram of FIG. 24.That is, each time the character passes a region of the playfield in thevicinity of line 210, the character collision type is changed. If thecharacter had been moving from right to left through graphics path blockG11, then the type changes from A to B, and if the character had beenmoving from left to right through graphics path block G11 then the typechanges from B to A. Thus, after the change, the character collisiontype is different from what it was before the change. For graphics blockG11, a single collision block is cross-referenced regardless ofcharacter collision type since there is no overlapping of path segmentsand path is not dependent upon character direction.

Assume, for example, that a character enters the overlap loop from theleft through graphics path block G5 and initially has collision type A.When the character traverses graphics path block G6 a reference is madeto collision block c1. When the character reaches the apex of thegraphics path block G11, the collision type carried by the characterchanges from A to B. As the character descends from left to right andpasses again through graphics path block G6, this time, a reference ismade to collision block c8. Thus, during the first traversal of graphicspath block G6 one collision block is referenced, and during the secondtraversal another collision block is referenced.

Conversely, if the character were to initially enter the overlap loopfrom the right and initially have collision type-B, then as it passedthrough graphics path block G6, a reference would be to collision blockc8. As the character moved upwards and around the loop and crossed theregion indicated by line 210 in graphics path block G11, the collisiontype information carried by the character would change from B to A. Asthe character descended and again traversed graphics path block G6, areference would be made to collision block c1. It should be appreciated,that if the character were to move back and forth across the regionindicated by a line 210, the collision type information carried by thecharacter would continue to change back and forth between A and B.

The use of references to collision blocks that are dependent upon thecollision type of a character advantageously permits the use of pathsthat cross over each other. Moreover, the use of references that dependupon character collision type are particularly useful where differentcollision blocks are to be invoked when the character approaches aparticular path block from different directions.

Split Screen Competition Graphics

Split screen competition graphics advantageously provides two scrollingscreens each of which can scroll over different parts of the sameplayfield. Character sprites in the two screens can move independentlyof each other on the two screens. This advantageously provides theopportunity for full competition between players on each independentscrolling screen. Moreover, both the upper and lower scrolling screenscan contain the full amount of sprite graphics information. Since thetwo screens each occupy half of the screen area that was occupied in asingle scroll screen mode, the images in the two scroll screens arevertically compressed or squeezed by a small amount. The scroll rate ofeach screen depends upon the rate at which each character traverses itsscreen. One character can be far ahead of the other character. Also, ina present embodiment, the two sprite characters can accumulate gamepoints independently of each other.

The split screen mode overcomes limitations of the prior art. Forexample, FIGS. 25A-B illustrate a potential problem with earlier splitscreens: some playfield screen information is lost in going from singlescreen mode shown in FIG. 25A to the split screen mode shown in FIG.25B. The large face graphics are an illustrative part of exemplaryplayfield graphics which is partially lost in the split screen mode.FIGS. 26A-B show another potential shortcoming of some earlier scrollcompetition games: competing characters can potentially disappear fromview if they become separated by too much distance in the playfield.

FIG. 27A illustrates the single screen mode, and FIG. 27B illustratesthe split-screen mode in accordance with the present invention. The twosplit screens in FIG. 27B are squeezed vertically as compared with thesingle screen in FIG. 27A. However, no information is lost in the splitscreen mode; all scroll and sprite information is present for use ineach of the two screens which scroll independently. Moreover, thedisplay never looses sight of either of the two sprite characters evenif they become separated in the playfield.

Interlace Mode Control

During operation in the interlace mode, an interlaced display fieldillustrated in FIG. 28 includes both even scan lines 102 indicated bysolid diagonal lines and odd scanlines indicated by dashed horizontallines 104. Interlace mode is a well-known mode of TV operation whichwill be understood by those skilled in the art. A complete interlaceddisplay field is produced over the course of two scan frames. During aneven scan frame indicated by FIG. 29 the even lines are traced. Duringan odd scan frame indicated by FIG. 30, the odd lines 104 are traced.

In split-screen mode, there is a top screen 106 and a bottom screen 108.The two screens are demarcated by a boundary 110 between them. Since thetop screen 106 and the bottom screen 108 can depict different regions ofthe playfield and can depict different sprite characters, access must bemade to different sprite graphic information and different graphicplayfield information in order to render the two different playfields.In a current implementation, the memory storage requirements formaintenance of all of the sprite graphics information for both the topand the bottom playfields 106, 108 can be great. Consequently, inaccordance with a current embodiment of the invention, a technique isemployed to change the stored sprite graphics information in the courseof a single even frame trace and to again change the sprite graphicsinformation stored in the course of a single odd frame trace.

More specifically, referring to the illustrative of drawings of FIGS.31A-D, there is shown a representation of four time segments of a singleframe trace. The first segment shown in FIG. 31A represents retraceduring which a vertical interrupt of the processor 44 is called. Thesecond segment shown in FIG. 31B represents the screen trace of the topscreen. The third segment illustrated in FIG. 31C represents a segmentduring which a horizontal interrupt of the processor 44 is called. Thefourth segment indicated by FIG. 31D represents a time period duringwhich the bottom screen is traced.

The timing diagram of FIG. 32 shows the time interval during which eachof the above segments occurs. Each of the two frames used to generate acomplete interlaced field is rendered in the course of 1/60 seconds (16milliseconds). Thus, an entire interlaced field is generated in thecourse of 1/30 seconds (32 milliseconds). Referring to the timingdiagram, during the first three milliseconds of the rendering of oneframe, a vertical interrupt is called, as the beam retraces from thebottom right portion of the screen to the top left portion. During thattime period, sprite graphics information for the top screen istransferred from RAM 42 to VRAM 45. During the next 6 milliseconds thetop screen 106 is rendered using the stored graphics information. Ahorizontal interrupt is called right before the next one millisecond,and the screen is turned off so that no picture is generated. Duringthis time period, sprite graphics information is transferred from RAM toVRAM for the bottom screen. Right before the last 6 milliseconds thescreen is turned back on and the bottom screen 108 is rendered. It willbe understood, of course, that the above-described process occurs forboth the even frame and the odd frame. Thus, it occurs twice to renderone complete interlaced field.

The illustrative drawings of FIGS. 33A-B and 34 provide flow diagramsthat explain details of the graphics data transfers that occur duringeach of the two frames used to produce a single interlaced field.

Referring to the illustrative drawings of FIGS. 35 and 36, there isshown a single cell and a corresponding graphics pattern for use ininterlace mode. The single cell comprises 8×16 dots. In rendering thegraphic pattern of FIG. 25, rows 00, 08, 10, 18, 20, 28, 30 and 38 arerendered during the even trace frame, and the intervening rows 04, 0C,14, 1C, 24, 2C 34, and 3C are rendered during the odd trace frame. Itwill be understood that the number of rows of dots that appear in boththe top screen and in the bottom screen in the split screen mode is thesame as would appear on the entire screen in a non-interlace mode. Thereare 224 rows of dots in each split screen. However, due to the fact thatin interlace mode, dots are closer together, the images in the top andbottom split screens appear to be vertically squeezed. This is true forboth scrolled playfields and for the sprites.

Overview Of The Multiple Player Cooperative Mode And Multiple PlayerCompetition Mode

In a current embodiment, a system in accordance with the presentinvention has two modes of operation: a cooperative mode and acompetitive mode. In the cooperative mode, the first character respondsto inputs applied to the first controller, and the second characterfollows the first character through the playfield. It can be said thatthe two game characters cooperate in that the first character leads thesecond character through the playfield. Not only does the secondcharacter follow the first character, but the second character alsoimitates the first character's movements. Thus, the first and secondgame characters both respond to inputs provided to the first controllerwith the second character following behind and seeming to imitate thefirst character.

FIGS. 37A-E are purely illustrative drawings used to explain theoperation of the cooperative and competition modes. Each drawing shows aportion of a prescribed path through the playfield. As can be seen, thepath includes hills and valleys. At one point, there is a trench. Aplatform (an "event") moves back and forth across the trench, asindicated by the arrows. In order for a game character to traverse thetrench, the character must jump onto the platform and ride the platformacross the trench and then jump off the platform on the other side ofthe trench. Jumping on to and off of the platform requires skill. Thisis the type of challenge that might cause difficulty for a noviceplayer.

In FIGS. 37A-E, the triangle character is the first character controlledby the first controller, and the circle character is the secondcharacter which follows the first character in the cooperative mode. InFIG. 37A, the second character is following behind the first character.The box in FIG. 37A encloses the portion of the path which is thencurrently visible on the display screen. Thus, portions of the path tothe right and to the left of the box are outside the screen display andare not visible to the game players.

In FIG. 37B, the first and second characters have progressed to theright, and consequently, the portion of the path that is visibleon-screen has changed. Also, the first character is shown to be jumping.In FIG. 37C, the first and second characters have progressed evenfurther to the right as indicated by the location of the screen displayon the playfield. In FIG. 37C, it can be seen that the second characteris jumping just as the first character jumped previously. In cooperativemode, the jumping of the second character is responsive to the same jumpcommand provided to the first controller that caused the first characterto jump in FIG. 37B. In FIG. 37D, the first character is shown to havesuccessfully traversed the trench. The second character is still on theleft edge of the trench not having traversed it yet.

At this point, assume that a second player using the second controllerhas decided to begin control the movement of the second character as itattempts to traverse the trench. The second player provides an input tothe second controller in an attempt to cause the second character tojump on to the platform. The game switches to the competition mode.Suppose the jump fails, as a result, in FIG. 37E, the first characterhas continued to progress, and the second character is left behind outof view. This is indicated by the screen display in which the firstcharacter is within the field of view, but the second character(indicated by dotted lines) is outside the field of view of the screendisplay. As a result, in the present embodiment action is halted, andthe second character once again appears within the screen displaylocated directly above the first character and begins to move downwardas described below in relation to the computer program of FIG. 40.

In the competitive mode, each game character is under separate controlof a different controller. The first game character responds to inputsapplied to the first controller 72, and the second game characterresponds to inputs applied tot he second controller 74. The two gamecharacters compete as they traverse the playfield.

In certain game environments, the distance that a game characterprogresses through a playfield depends upon the skill of the playeroperating a controller used to control the game character. A charactercontrolled by a skilled player will progress farther because a skilledplayer can better overcome obstacles in the path of a character that hecontrols. As explained in the cooperative mode control section, thecooperative mode permits a novice player to take advantage of the skillsof a more seasoned first player. The accomplished player can control thefirst character which, due to his skill, is able to make significantprogress through the playfield. The second character also makessignificant progress by following the first character and imitating itsmovements.

As explained below in the competition mode control and mode switchingsections, the novice player can take active control of the secondcharacter by pressing buttons on the second controller. The system thenoperates in the competition mode in which each character is controlledby a separate controller. However, in the preferred embodiment, if thesecond player fails to operate the second controller for a prescribedperiod of time, such as ten seconds, then the system reverts again tothe cooperative mode, and the second character once again follows thefirst character. Alternatively, if the second player continues tooperate the second character controls, but the second character falls aprescribed distance behind the first character, such as so far behind asto not be visible on the screen, then the system will cause the secondcharacter to catch up with the first character, and the system willagain revert to the cooperative mode.

Cooperative Mode Control

Referring to FIG. 38, there is shown a flow diagram for a computerprogram used to control the movement of the second game character in thecooperative mode. The flow diagram assumes that a first player hasprovided a series of commands to the first controller in order tocontrol the movement of the first character through the playfield. Instep 510, the first controller input data is read for that input datawhich was stored 16/60 seconds before. In step 512 a determination ismade as to whether or not the stored input data indicates that the rightbutton was activated. If it was then in step 514 of the second charactersprite moves to the right on the screen display. In step 516 adetermination is made as to whether the input data indicates that theleft button was activated. If so, then in step 518 the character spritemoves to the left. In step 520 a determination is made as to whether thejump button was activated. If it was, then in step 522 the secondcharacter sprite jumps on-screen. In step 524, a determination is madeas to whether or not the down button was activated. If it was, then instep 526 the character sprite is caused to crouch down. In step 528, adetermination is made as to whether or not there is an objectobstructing the path of the second character sprite. If there is, thenin step 530 the second sprite attempts to jump over the object. Thatway, the second character tries to overcome obstacles in its path as itpursues the first character even if no first controller input wasapplied for that specific purpose.

In step 532 a determination is made as to whether or not there is anydistance between the first and second characters. If there is, then thesecond character moves toward the first character dot by dot. Thecomputer program represented by FIG. 38 is called every 1/60 seconds byan interrupt routine. The second character typically only has anopportunity to move a few dots before the routine is called again. Thus,before the second character can move very far in its effort to catch upwith the first character, a determination is made as to whether thereare additional first character movements to be imitated by the secondcharacter.

The second character sprite appears to follow the first charactersprite, mimicking his moves. If however, the first character spriteremains stationary, the second character sprite, through the operationof step 534 will catch up with him. The result is that the firstcharacter leads the way through the playfield under control of the firstcontroller. The second character follows close enough behind so thatboth the first and second characters are visible on the screen display.If the first character fails to move, then the second character movestoward the first character, either to the right or to the left asnecessary. This routine runs periodically when the system is in thecooperative mode.

Competition Mode Control

In the competition mode, the first controller 72 is used to control themovement of the first character sprite, and the second controller 74 isused to control the movement of the second character sprite. The playersoperating the first and second controllers compete with each other asthe first and second characters traverse the playfield. The competition,for example, can involve attempts to traverse the playfield the fastestwhile accumulating the most points.

Mode Switching

Referring to the illustrative drawing of FIG. 39, there is shown a flowdiagram for a computer program used to determine whether the cooperativemode or the competition mode is to be used. In step 540, a determinationis made as to whether the game has been set to be controlled by only oneplayer. If it has, then the game is automatically put into thecooperative mode, and in step 542 a determination is made as to whetherthere has been a control input applied to the second controller. If not,then in step 544 a determination is made as to whether there has been noinput from the second controller for more than ten seconds. If there hasbeen no input for more than ten seconds, then the game remains in thecooperative mode as indicated by step 546.

If in step 542 there has been a control input to the second controllerthen, in step 543, a determination is made as to whether or not thesecond character sprite has disappeared from the screen. If it has, thenthe second character sprite is caused to return into view on the screenin step 550 and the game remains in the cooperative mode. If in step 543it is determined that the second character sprite has not disappearedfrom the screen, then in step 552 the second character sprite is placedunder control of the second controller and the game reverts to thecompetitive mode.

The program of FIG. 39 periodically executes. The result is that thegame will revert to the cooperative mode if the second character fallssufficiently behind the first character to disappear from the screen orthe second player fails to operate the second controller for aprescribed time period. Conversely, the game will revert to thecompetitive mode if the second player operates the second controller andthe second character is still visible on the screen.

The flow diagram of FIG. 40 represents a computer program used to movethe second character sprite back into view after it has fallen farbehind the first sprite and has disappeared from the screen. The programof FIG. 40 is used in the competitive mode to be sure that the first andsecond character sprites remain visible together on the screen display.The objective is to not allow the character controlled by the noviceplayer to fall too far behind the main character.

In step 560 a determination is made as to whether or not the initialflag is set to one. The initial flag indicates that the subsequent foursteps already have been taken. The initial flag is part of the spritestatus information for the second character sprite. In step 562, animage pattern is selected with the second character sprite shown to beflying through the air. In step 564, the horizontal position of thesecond sprite is selected to match that of the first sprite. Typicallythe controller 40 keeps the first character sprite centered on thescreen. Thus, the second character also is horizontally centered on thescreen. The first character is frozen on the screen, and all screenaction is frozen except for the movement of the second character. Instep 566, the vertical position of the second character sprite isselected to be 192 dots above the first character. In step 568, theinitial flag is set to one, and in step 570 the second character beginsto move slowly downward. In step 572, a determination is made as towhether or not the second character has landed on a game path. If he hasnot then the cycle repeats until he lands, and in step 574, the secondcharacter is displayed in a standing position. At this point, theprogram illustrated in FIG. 38 begins running, and the steps illustratedin that program are followed. The program in FIG. 39 controls switchingbetween the cooperative mode and the competitive mode.

Overview of Playfield Position Exchange Graphics

The present invention includes a split screen mode of operationdescribed above. The screen display is split into two equal sized screendisplays, one above the other in which game characters can competeagainst each other. Each of the two screens can display differentregions of the same playfield. A top screen display displays a firstgame character. A bottom screen display displays a second gamecharacter. The first character is controlled by a first user whooperates a first controller. The second character is controlled by asecond user who operates a second controller. The top and bottom screenscan display different regions of the playfield. The top screen displayscrolls independently of the bottom screen display.

In certain video games, for example, competing players operate differentcontrollers which control the movement of different characters through aplayfield. Two players may compete by trying to have their charactersrace through the playfield trying to accumulate points by surmountingobstacles, slaying enemies or gathering "magical rings", for example.The player whose character crosses the largest chunk of playfield oraccumulates the most points wins.

Referring to FIG. 41, for example, the top screen may display theplayfield region labelled A, and the bottom screen may display theplayfield region labelled B. In this example, regions A and B overlap.Referring to the illustrative drawings of FIG. 41, there is shown asplit screen display with the top screen illustrating a first characterin playfield region A and a bottom screen region with a second characterin playfield region B. Within the playfield there is an exchange objectwhich we will refer to as a teleport box. When one of the charactersprites comes to within a prescribed proximity of the exchange object,the positions of the two characters in the playfield and much of theirstatus information is exchanged. In this manner, a character that hasfallen behind can interchange playfield positions with anothercharacter. The exchange object, therefore, adds new strategyconsiderations to the game competition.

In FIG. 41, the first character in the top screen has fallen behind thesecond character in the bottom screen. This is apparent from the terrainin the two screen displays. The characters move left to right as theyprogress through the playfield. In the top screen, the first characterhas not yet crossed the small hill. In the bottom screen, the secondcharacter has just crossed the same hill. An exchange object is presentin the top screen. When the first character contacts it, as describedbelow in connection with the computer program flow diagram of FIGS.43A-B, the playfield positions of the first and second characters arereversed as shown in FIG. 42.

Exchange Object Control

Referring to FIGS. 43A-B, in step 610 a determination is made as towhether either game character has accessed an exchange object. If so,then an exchange is made of certain current status information for thefirst and second characters in step 612. Not all status information isexchanged, and for example, the information exchanged does not includeinformation that is unique to either character such as the graphicpatterns that determine its appearance. For example, the sprite patternnumbers which represents the sprite animation are not exchanged. Duringstep 612, character sprite status information is actually transferredbetween a first character status information buffer in RAM 42 and asecond character status information buffer in the RAM 42.

In step 614 the master number and pattern number for each player isinitialized so that the first and second characters will be shown instanding positions following the exchange. In step 616 scroll patterninformation is shifted between the top screen scroll buffer and thebottom screen scroll buffer. In step 618 the action set numbers areexchanged between a top screen scroll buffer and a bottom screen scrollbuffer. The action set numbers represent the screens actually stored inRAM 42 at any given time. It will be recalled that in the presentembodiment a playfield is sixty screens horizontally and eight screensvertically as shown in FIG. 2. Each playfield has a number of regionswhich are identified by action set numbers. A playfield regiondesignated by an action set number is larger than a portion of aplayfield that can be displayed on a single split or whole screen at anygiven moment. In a present embodiment, multiple action set numberregions are stored in RAM 42 at any given time, although only one screenat a time is displayed. This additional playfield display information isstored in RAM 42 so as to accommodate rapid character movements orchanges in direction. For example, if the character suddenly moves to anew playfield region that previously had not been displayed, then newplayfield region display information will be readily available in theRAM 42. There will be no need to transfer new playfield displayinformation from the ROM 58 to the RAM 42. As a consequence, there willbe no perceptible delay or discontinuity as the character moves to thenew playfield region.

In step 620 priority information is exchanged between the characters. Instep 622, flags are adjusted for certain events. More specifically,there are events such as the passage of a character past an A/Bcollision switch which causes a change in the character's collisioninformation. There also are events such as the character having entereda region of the playfield which requires the character to take a specialappearance. For example, in a present embodiment, one of the screens isknown as "casino night". While the first character is in the casinonight screen it takes the shape of a pinball since casino night is inthe form of pinball machine. Thus, pattern information used to produce apinball image is used to depict the character as it traverses the casinonight screen. The flags that are set in step 622 are the flags that keeptrack of such special or special events. One of ordinary skill in theart will appreciate that there may be other special event flags to beset depending upon the idiosyncrasies of a particular playfield or videogame.

In step 624, modes known as barrier and invincible are set for thecharacters. In a present embodiment, the setting of these modes for oneof the characters calls a routine which causes a character to bedisplayed with a certain graphic which depicts the character as beinginvincible. When a character is in the invincible mode, for example, itcannot be as readily "killed". In step 626, a determination is made asto whether the first character is spinning. If it is, and then the firstcharacter hit size is decreased in step 628. In step 630 a determinationis made as to whether the second charaacter is spinning. If so, then in632 the second player's hit size is decreased. Once again, one ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that there may be otherspecial modes depending upon the particular features of the game.

Referring to FIG. 43B in step 634, a determination is made as to whetheror not a character is riding on an "event". In a present embodiment, anevent is a term that designates a playfield object or obstacle such as amoving platform or a shuttle loop. When a character rides on an event,then special consideration must be made for character operation duringthat time period. For example, if a character is crossing a shuttle loopthen its control will depend upon offset table entries rather thancollision information.

If the first character is riding on an event, then in step 636 the firstcharacter ride flag is set. In step 638 a determination is made as towhether or not the second character is riding on an event. If so, thenin step 640 the second character's ride flag is set. In step 642 a flagis set to inactivate the TV screen display while the scroll fields areinterchanged. In step 644 the set action stop flags are set for bothcharacters so that both characters pause. In step 646 an interrupt waitis set for a count of sixty-three. In steps 648 and 650 the count isdecremented, and in 652, when the count has completed and the scrollscreens have been updated, the TV screen display is turned back on. TheTV screen display is temporarily turned off both to accommodate theinformation exchange and to give the human players time to realize thatan exchange has just taken place. In step 654 the action flags for thetwo characters are once again set.

FIG. 44 illustrates a teleport box. In a present embodiment, theteleport box is the exchange object visible on screen. When a charactercontacts the box by jumping on it, it "breaks" the box. Before thecharacter contacts it, the box appears as in FIG. 44, and after thecharacter contacts it and "breaks" it, it appears as in FIG. 45. The boxcenter floats upward until it reaches a certain height. When it reachesthat height, the exchange described above takes place. Thus, gameplayers know when an exchange is about to occur.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been described indetail, various modifications to the preferred embodiment can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Forexample, the status information interchanged and the flags that are setduring an exchange may vary depending upon the details of the particularvideo game or game characters. Also, the mechanism whereby the exchangeobject is activated may vary. For example, the exchange object may beactivated when a character shoots an arrow into the object or approachesto within a prescribed distance of the object such as ten dots. Thereare in fact numerous ways in which an exchange object could be activateddepending upon the creativity of the game developer. Thus, the inventionis limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling a multiplayercompetition video game for use with a system which includes a videodisplay screen, a user-controlled graphics controller, digital memoryand at least one user input device; wherein the video game involvesmultiple game characters each traversing a scrollable playfield inresponse to the user input device; wherein the playfield is displayed asa series of scrolled video screen displays; and wherein progress of thegame characters in traversing the playfield is indicated by scrollingthe video display screens of the playfield behind the characters, themethod comprising the steps of:providing a first display region of thevideo display screen in which the scrollable playfield can be displayed;providing a second display region of the video display screen in whichthe scrollable playfield can be displayed; displaying a first characterin the first display region; displaying a second character in the seconddisplay region; scrolling the playfield in the first display region toshow progress of the first character in traversing the playfield;scrolling the playfield in the second display region to show progress ofthe second character in traversing the playfield; displaying an exchangeobject in a portion of the scrollable playfield displayed in at leastone of the first and second display regions; activating the exchangeobject; interchanging respective playfield displays in the first displayregion and the second display region, such that following said step ofinterchanging, progress of the first character in traversing theplayfield and progress of the second character in traversing theplayfield are exchanged.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said steps ofproviding a first display region and providing a second display regioninvolve providing a split video display screen in which the firstdisplay region is disposed above the second display region.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 wherein said steps of scrolling the playfield in thefirst display region and scrolling the playfield in the second displayregion involve scrolling the playfield in the first display regionindependently of scrolling the playfield in the second display region.4. The method of claim 1 wherein said steps of scrolling the playfieldin the first display region and scrolling the playfield in the seconddisplay region are performed independently of each other in response toseparate user input devices.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein theexchange object is part of the scrollable playfield.
 6. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the exchange object is activated in response to commandsgiven to one of the first and second characters through a respectiveuser input device.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the exchange objectis activated when one of the first or second characters is displayedwithin a prescribed proximity with the exchange object.
 8. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the exchange object is activated when one of the firstor second characters is displayed contacting the exchange object.
 9. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the exchange object changes appearance whenactivated.
 10. The method of claim 1, further including the stepsof:storing in the digital memory first status information correspondingto the first character; storing in the digital memory second statusinformation corresponding to the second character; and interchangingcertain of the first status information and certain of the second statusinformation in response to the activation of the exchange object.